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April 5,
2009 UNEDITED
Rev. Barbara McKusick Liscord
Unitarian Universalist Congregation in
Milford, NH
REFLECTION Drumbeat for Darfur
Today marks the beginning of holy week in the
Christian liturgical calendar. It’s Palm Sunday- which
marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem as he undertook the annual
pilgrimage to celebrate Passover. You probably know the
story, Jesus shared the Passover meal- which became known as the last
supper in Christianity with his disciples, then Jesus was betrayed,
beaten and then tortured to death on a cross. He had challenged
leaders and followers of his Jewish faith to return to Jewish teaching
of love and justice. He challenged the empire- Rome- and called
for justice. The Gospel of Luke sets out his famous sermon.
Jesus said “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
And the Gospel of Matthew adds these words from Jesus:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. …
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Our Unitarian Universalist roots are planted firmly
in the soil of Jesus’ Jewish call for justice, mercy,
compassion. And Jesus’ message of love and justice were the
foundations of the new movement eventually called
Christianity. As we have been discussing in our Lenten Series-
Jesus did not demand that his disciples believe in a certain way.
What mattered is what they did to live out their faith. People
followed Jesus because of what he did- not because he demanded that
they believe in him as the son of God or the messiah. He
continually pointed them away from himself, toward God and toward
living according to the Love God meant for us. Marcus Borg writes
in “Meeting Jesus again for the First time”, that Jesus was
a “spirit person”- one of those persons in human history
for whom Spirit is an experiential reality. Jesus was a
teacher of wisdom, teaching in parables. He was a social
prophet. He criticized the economic, political and religious
elites of his time- he was in conflict with authorities. He
founded a movement that challenged and shattered the social boundaries
of his day.
This past fall my husband was going door to door for
a particular political candidate for president who will remain
unnamed. He visited our neighbors who are Jehovah’s
Witnesses who responded that they did not vote or get involved in
political matters because they said, “Our Lord did not get
involved in politics.” But precisely because Jesus
questioned the life defying oppressive system of the time, his message
had power and his work became political.
So it is fitting that we celebrate justice as a core
value of our faith- on this particular Sunday- The empire, we face is
not Rome – the greatest pre-industrial and territorial
empire. But the world lives under the tyranny of empire just the
same. We live in the greatest post-industrial and commercial
empire. (John Dominic Crossan, Empire and God)
After Jesus’ death, his established their own
religion and began to distinguish it from Judaism- the Jewish and
Christian calendars diverged… but some years. This year is
one of them… Passover falls on Easter week. This
Thursday is the first night of Passover, celebrated in Jewish homes and
communities around the world. It is also Maundy Thursday- which
represents Jesus’ Passover meal with his disciples and or the
last supper for Christians. In this community to conclude our
Lenten series- we will celebrate this moment in Jesus’ story with
a special worship service.
The Passover story is a story about avoiding
genocide. Moses demanded that the Pharaoh free his people from
slavery. When the Pharaoh refused 10 plagues were sent by
God. The final plague was the death of the first born child in
every household. So that this plague would Passover them, the
Israelites marked their homes with lambs blood so that death would
Passover their homes. Finally the Pharaoh let the Israelites go,
but changed his mind and pursued them- at the moment when they would be
driven into the sea or killed or once again enslaved by the Pharaoh,
the red sea parted and the Israelites escaped. This is a myth
about empire, the courage to demand justice and justice being meted out
in the end. John Dominic Crossan says the whole bible is about
Empire.
The genocides of the 20th century were staggering-
Armenians in Turkey, Jews of Europe, the killing fields of Cambodia, so
called ethnic cleansing of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia, 800,000
people killed in 100 days in Rwanda. And in the first years
of the 21st century- the genocide in the Darfur regen of Sudan.
It has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of
our time- it has been grinding on for 5 years now- 300,000 people have
been systematically killed as Sudanese government-backed militias
attack and burn villages. Thousands who have not been killed have
suffered kidnap, rape and torture. Under constant threat 2.5
million people have been forced to flee from their homes into camps in
Darfur and neighboring Chad. But the situation in these camps is
little better. Supplies are scarce and people, especially women
and girls are vulnerable to armed attacks when they leave the camp to
collect firewood and other daily necessities. Of all Darfurians
displaced by the conflict, women and girls are among the most
vulnerable. They risk assault, abuction and rape as they walk
long distances to seek work, find firewood, water and straw for
housing. Through women’s centers, the UUSC supports income
generation projects and alternative fuel sources to reduce
women’s need to leave the camps- thereby reducing their
vulnerability.
A couple of years ago, we raised our awareness and
that of our Milford community with our justice Sunday service and by
having a presence with signs and literature on the oval. About
that time I participated in a demonstration in Washington DC with the
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s Drumbeat for
Darfur. Our UU president Bill Sinkford, led our band of about 100
marchers as we joined thousands of others in the larger demonstration
on the mall. Rev. Sinkford offered the invocation before the speakers
took to the podium. It was there that I heard our now President
Obama speak for the first time. In strait forward, clear terms,
he called for action to intervene in this humanitarian crisis.
The next year, I participated in a demonstration in Boston calling for
divestiture in companies contributing to the genocide- and calling
attention to China’s role in supporting President Bashir’s
regime in Sudan- China purchases 70% of Sudan’s oil- effectively
funding the weapons of genocide. Weekly, I receive several
requests to act against the genocide in Darfur. And there has
been progress. The International Court at the Hague has called
for the arrest of President Bashir. But he hasxn’t been
arrested yet and Bashir responded by expelling the 13 aid agencies who
were working in camps in Darfur. The Obama administration has
appointed a special envoy. And TIAA-CREFF responded to the
shareholder’s organized action and will be divesting of companies
whose businesses contribute to the slaughter and on going misery.
Shareholders of Vanguard funds may be successful with a similar
proposal. There are still major funds that haven’t taken
action, including American Funds, Barclays, Fidelity, and Franklin
Templeton. And any of us how have had at least $2000 invested for
over a year in those funds may submit a shareholder proposal and the
UUSC partner group Investors Against Genocide can help us through that
process.
Downstairs, Peggy Stokes will have a table with more
information about the situation in Darfur. Our attention is
making a difference. We have a luxury the people of Darfur
don’t have- the luxury of indifference. But
indifference has nothing to do with living a life of meaning, purpose
and faith. The heartbreak can sometimes overwhelm us into the
despair of doing nothing. But many people do not have the
luxury of despair. Taking positive steps- out of compassion is a
fulfilling way to live. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “it is
one of the great compensations of this life that no one can sincerely
try to help another without helping himself.” And Edward
Everett Hale said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I
cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I
cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can
do.” Please, put yourselves in the shoes of the
women, children and men of Darfur and see what you can do.
When I attended the drumbeat for Darfur
demonstration in Washington 3 years ago, I felt a little shy
about beating drums and walking down the street. I wasn’t
embarrassed. I like drums, but I’m aware that I’m
just a white woman of Scottish and English descent from Maine. I
worried about misappropriating African culture in our zeal to make a
statement. Then I realized that the Africans who were speaking
and marching with us were eager to share their culture with us- they
invited us to share in the positive joy of their music, drumming,
dancing and colorful clothing. So that we may feel closer to our
African brothers and sisters, let us join in singing another African
song: EE-shay oh- loo- ah: God’s work will
never be spoiled.
REFLECTION Let Justice Roll: Economic Justice in Uncertain Times
You may have noticed the thread running through our
service today. The word “worship” has its roots in
the words, “shaping worth”. When we gather to
worship, we are holding up for our view- and reminding ourselves once
again- what is worthy of our attention. To what shall we devote
our lives. What gives our lives shape and meaning.
What helps us thrive, live well and love well… and what forces
deaden our spirits. How shall we live in life affirming,
love affirming and hopeful ways. The thread running through this
service is our concern- and indeed religious and spiritual call to pay
attention to those who suffer at the hands of those more powerful than
themselves. Our call is to stand beside them- to listen and learn
from them- so that we can help them create the change needed for us all
to thrive, and to live and love well.
The situation in Darfur may feel- thankfully far
away… easier to forget about- if we don’t have each other
to remind ourselves of the truth of Martin Luther King’s words-
injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. A key
strategy to turning things around in Darfur is to put pressure on
mutual funds to divest of businesses that are profiting from the
genocide in Sudan. Unfortunately, the ability to profit- to
succeed in a business is not a measure of its moral capacity.
This is one of the lessons learned in the failure of banks and
investment firms. There has been plenty written about moral and
ethical corruption behind those failures.
Another moral failure that we’ve let ourselves
get away with is paying below poverty wages for full time work.
This is a human rights issue that needs our attention, especially at a
time when economic times are tough. This is a human rights
issue closer to home- experienced by people in the United States and
right in this room.
The meltdown on Wall Street and the national
economic crisis it precipitated, have led to calls for a new way of
doing business, presenting a real opportunity for making positive
changes in the economy. This is our chance to balance
business’ focus on profit with real human needs. This is
the time to make changes so that people who work full time do not have
to live in poverty.
During the great depression, President Roosevelt
realized that establishing a floor under which wages could not fall
would boost the economy, both in the short and long term. Today,
we need to raise the federal minimum wage, because the current rate is
worth less than it was 40 years ago. So raising the minimum
wage will care for the economy AND create a new social contract that
will ensure that guarantees workers if they work full time they will
not be poor.
There has been progress… in July the federal
minimum wage will rise to $7.25 per hour- this is the first increase in
over 10 years. But even with this, minimum wage workers will be
far below the poverty line. Raising minimum wage is one of the
most effective ways to combat poverty and suppor the human rights of
children, women and people of color in the United States. A
minimum wage of at least $10 will bring us a step closer to the
“minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency and
general well-being of workers.” At last summers’
Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, the delegates passed an Action
of Immediate Witness to raise the federal minimum wage to $10 in 2010.
When businesses pay full time workers poverty wages,
the rest of us pay the costs. One in four American workers- one
in four-is employed in jobs that pay wages under the poverty level and
provide minimal or no benefits. More than 60% of full-time
minimum wage workers are women, often raising children. Over the
last 40 years, real wages have fallen drastically as costs have risen,
leaving many families without enough money to cover their basic human
needs. It has become the choice of heat or eat, childcare or
healthcare. Recent estimates find that childhood poverty
costs the US economy $500 billion annually, or 4% of GDP, due to loss
productivity and economic output, as well as expenditures on medical
care and crime associated with poverty.
This is something we can do something
about. First, we can learn more about the real costs of
poverty. And we can make sure that we are paying the employees of
our church at least $10 an hour. We can also make the case to
family and friends for $10 in 2010. If we own a business and are
paying under $10, we can work toward a $10 per hour wage. We can
sign the $10 in 2010 Faith Leaders Letter to Congress. And
we can join the UUSC’s Wage Justice efforts.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., says, “There
is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have
the resources to get rid of it.” Let’s make it a
reality in our country- a job should keep you out of poverty, not
in it.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I
cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I
cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can
do.”
Let’s sing together- asking each other, God
and the eternal source of Love for the strength- for the power- to do
the something we can do.
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